Alas! my child, where is the Pen
That can do justice to the Hen?
Like Royalty, she goes her way,
Laying foundations every day,
Though not for Public Buildings, yet
For Custard, Cake and Omelette….
No wonder, Child, we prize the Hen,
Whose Egg is Mightier than the Pen.
~Oliver Herford, “The Hen”